Rabanus Maurus - Concilium medii aevi

FEE-ALEXANDRA HAASE: Rhetoric as praise of the emperor
institutione clericorum took elements of Melanchthon’s De Rhetorica libri tres. By the
end of the 11 th century, Western Europe had made some remarkable advances in a
number of areas. 39 Many of the often-quoted statements about Charlemagne and
literacy derive from the work of his contemporary biographer Einhard. This work is
known to be defective in such matters as chronological detail, and presents an
idealised portrait of the great man in the mode of classical writers describing Roman
emperors. Rhabanus writes in his preface of De rerum naturis called Domino
excellentissimo et omni honore dignissimo Hludouuico regi that nearly in every part of
Europe Charlemagne is praised:
Rhabanus uilissimus seruorum dei seruus aeterne beatitudinis in Christo optat
salutem. Audita bona opinione uestra quae predicatur per totas prouincias Germaniae
atque Galliae. Et pene in cunctis partibus Europae crebris laudibus intonant satis
exulto, et domini misericordiam imploro quatinus hoc cum bono augmento ad
salubrem finem peruenire concedat. 40
Rhabanus’ writings fall into various classes. Among those of an exegetical nature,
the earliest is his commentary on Matthew written between 814 and 822. It is less an
original work than a compilation, especially from Jerome, Augustine, and Gregory the
Great. Commentaries followed on the other historical books of the Old Testament,
with the exception of Ezra and Nehemiah, and including Maccabees. Then he
explained Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. To a later
period probably belong the commentaries on Proverbs, the Pauline epistles, and the
Gospel of John. Of these there are yet unpublished Isaiah (a 12 th -century manuscript in
the possession of Erlangen University), Daniel and John (Munich Library). 41 Burgess
39 R. MCKITTERICK, ZIMPEL (ed.), Maurus Hrabanus, De institutione clericorum libri tres. Studien und
Edition, in: Journal of ecclesiastical history 49/2 (1998) P. 343-370, P. 350ff.
40 http://www.mun.ca/rabanus/drn/pref1.html. [7.7.2004]
41 Medieval Latin. The Latin Library. The Classics Homepage:
http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/encyc/encyc09/htm/iv.vii.htm. [7.7.2004]
Bibliography Rabanus Maurus: The Opera. Ed. by J. PAMELIUS, A. DE HENIN and G. COLVENERIUS. 6
vols. Cologne 1626-1627; Rabanus Maurus: http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/hcc4/htm/i.xiv.xxvi.htm.
[7.7.2004]; Rabanus Maurus, Opera omnia, in: MIGNE, Tom. CVII.-CXII; Rabanus Maurus, Carmina,
in: Dümmler’s Poetae Latini aevi Carolini, II, Pp. 159-258; Hrabanus Maurus, De rerum naturis. Il
codice 132 dell’Archivio di Montecassino. Università degli Studi di Cassino. 1996; M. BAYLESSS,
Alcuin’s Disputatio Pippini and the early medieval riddle tradition, in: Humour, History and Politics in
Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Ed. by Guy HALSALL. 2002, Pp. 157-178; C. CHARLIER,
Alcuin, Florus et l’ Apocryphe hiéronymien “Cogitis me” sur l’ Assomption, in: Studia Patristica I.
Papers presented to the Second International Conference on Patristic Studies held at Christ Church.
1957. Part I. Edited by K. ALAND and F. L. CROSS (Texte und Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der
altchristlichen Literatur 63 = V. Reihe 8). 1957, Pp. 70-81; F.A. S.: Rhabanus Maurus, der Gründer
21